Last Monday, on a beautiful summer evening my partner Penny and I had the great honour of hosting Cuban Embassy officials David Aldama Pando, Third Secretary, and Areadna Quitana Castañeda, Press Attaché, as guests in our home. It was two hours of informative, intellectually stimulating discussion about a wide range of topics. The main topic…
Category: Vancouver
The uncertain future of False Creek South
In the early 1970s, Vancouver’s Non-Partisan Association (NPA) lost its control of City Council. A new party led by Mayor Art Phillips, The Electors Action Movement (TEAM) came to power. My mentor Harry Rankin, who was on City Council at that time, described TEAM as simply a fresher, slicker, younger version of the NPA. While…
Subconscious socialism
As many of you may know, I have long been committed to the ideals of socialism and consider myself a socialist. It has been said that the essence of socialism is the same as that of many great religions – a commitment to putting others ahead of one’s own self interest. At one point in…
Unprecedented heat wave demands unprecedented action
Wow, has it ever been hot! Past temperature records throughout the province are being surpassed. The town of ‘Q’əmcín (also known as Lytton, BC) has broken temperature records three days in a row, reaching an all-time high of 49.6°C on June 30, which was the highest ever recorded anywhere in Canada since record keeping began. In…
Just the other day
I do not normally talk about my disability but today I’m going to make an exception. When asked “What is your disability?” I always tell the truth – on September 10th 1984 I was called to the bar. I am a lawyer! What prompted my full disclosure now? I recently had a telephone conversation with…
End sweetheart deals for Vancouver developers
I have long been concerned about the sweetheart deals a majority of Vancouver City Council has given developers when approving developer rezoning applications. Two of Vancouver City Council’s best councillors, Jean Swanson and Pete Fry, kindly took time out of their busy schedules to assist me with researching the policy details involved. Here is what…
NPA Board: Let’s make a deal!
On April 21, three of the four NPA city councillors, Lisa Dominato, Colleen Hardwick, and Sarah Kirby-Yung, left the NPA. If you were an NPA member you might have thought that things could not get any worse. Now they have! On April 23, every single one of the three NPA school trustees, Carmen Cho, Oliver…